Granville County Couple Is Being Kept Apart By Immigration Snafu

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GRANVILLE COUNTY — A local couple in love is being kept apart by red tape.

Lynda DiFrancesco has been waiting in England for a residence visa so she can live and work in the U.S. Her husband, Phil, has been waiting in the United States. They were married on July 4, and they have been waiting for INS to process her paperwork.

She is in Granville County now just for the holidays. It is the first time the couple has been together since their honeymoon. They blame INS for keeping them apart.

"What they're doing is affecting people's lives," Lynda says. "I don't think they see that paperwork as real people, but we're proof that it does affect lives."

"The hardest part is going to see her go on that airplane, and God knows when I'm going to see her again. That is going be the hardest part," Phil says.

INS says the delay in processing Lynda's visa is simply due to a backlog. It could be seven more months before it grants the visa.